Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is twisty thriller, told on dual timelines of then and now, littering breadcrumbs and twists making you want more and more. I would say this is possibly a YA aswell as a very good thriller based loosely on a true event.

Twenty years ago three best friends aged thirteen went to a party at turtle lake California and only two of them returned.

The story is told from the perspective of one of the girls sisters in both the then and now. I read this in one sitting as I found it hard to put down.

“It was a case that shocked the nation, rocked our town to its roots. Put it on the map for all the wrong reasons. As the details emerged, strangers hashed over the particulars … Shook their heads at the horror of it all. At the terrible tragedy.”

My thanks to Quercus Books for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘All the Little Liars’ by Victoria Selman.

The question posed by this taunt thriller is ‘what really happened at Turtle Lake?’

California, 2003. Three teenagers went to a party at Carlsbad's Turtle Lake but only two came back. At first the police believe that the thirteen-year-old girl had run away. Then on the trunk of a nearby cottonwood tree the word 'LIAR' is found graffitied in blood.

The story is told across two timelines. In the present twenty years have passed since the events at Turtle Lake though it is still fodder for True Crime enthusiasts. Kat (formerly Finn) Jackman had moved to London with her father at the end of 2003. Yet she is still haunted by the past. I won’t say more about the plot as this is definitely a novel best read ‘cold’ for maximum impact.

Interspersed between some chapters there are snippets of other media, including newspaper articles, news bulletins, and transcripts of chat rooms. Of course, in the 2003 sections technology such as SMS and the internet is still gaining in popularity. I can imagine that took some research in order to avoid anachronisms even though it was only 20 years ago.

‘All the Little Liars’ was one of those novels that once started I couldn’t bear to put down. I was impressed with how well Victoria Selman handled aspects of the plot. It certainly kept me guessing and overall proved a satisfying read.

Previous to this I had read two of Victoria Selman’s novels and found both intelligent, well crafted thrillers. ‘All the Little Liars’ now joins these others and I plan to read more of her back catalogue while waiting for her next novel.

A really interesting thriller, set across two timelines that span 20 years.
This is a very character led story and I thought the MC Finn (or Kat as she becomes) was a superb narrator.
The two timelines allow us to watch her unpicking the past to try and uncover the truths of what really happened to her sister. In doing so I found my sympathies flicking and changing along with what I thought I knew.
I really enjoyed the historical notes such as big news headlines or what was on the television or in the cinemas at the time. It was a great way to place the reader as well as draw a line between the then and now.

Some big twists that I didn't anticipate which I always enjoy in a book.

Altogether a really great read

I am giving an average rating for this one as I was not able to read it before publishing date. Once I read it I will review on GoodReads. Thank you for the ARC and apologies for not getting time to read it before the publishing date.

Wow! My first book from this author but most definitely not my last. A truly gripping and intelligent thriller that I absolutely raced through! Told over a dual timeline, the novel examines the long-term impact of the disappearance of a teenage girl on a small community. There's also a shocking twist midway through that I definitely didn't see coming. Fabulous read = highly recommended!

This is a dual timeline story set in 2003 and twenty years later.
California, 2003, three girls formed an unhealthy toxic friendship, and one night they went to a party at Turtle Lake, but one of them went missing.
Twenty years later, someone comes up and she might have new evidence regarding that night.

I really don't want to say too much as it'll get into spoiler. It's a page turner, I couldn't stop reading this and I finished reading it in a day, love the twists and turns, however there a couple of things that seems not being explored enough. The ending is a bit abrupt for me, and feels like of "unbelievable".

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I loved how this book made me change my perspective several times.

Two teenagers confessed to murdering their friend, but twenty years later someone starts to question whether they were telling the truth.

This brilliant thriller is the very definition of a page-turner.

When I had finished reading I wanted to go straight back to the beginning and start all over again, partly to see if I could spot any clues I might have missed but mainly because it was such an enjoyable read. As soon as you read the first few pages you are hit with this incredible sense of dread and can feel that something terrible is going on.

I loved how the story jumped back and forth between past and present, dropping in little bits of information to build the full picture of what really happened. Victoria Selman has made the entire story feel so believable, it was almost as if I was reading true crime.

I guarantee you will devour this fast-paced gripping book.

Thank you NetGalley and Quercus for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Three young girls go to a party in the woods. Only two come back. The story is told in dual timeline. It is very difficult to talk about this book without giving away spoilers so this is going to be a very short review. I will say that this was a book full of surprises- one of which really made me stop reading & gasp! It is a book I would recommend to all those who like to be surprised! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- it was a cracker!

Told across two timelines, All The Little Liars tells the story of Finn, whose sister, Izzy is involved in a horrific crime when they are just kids. Sisterly love and toxic friendship gives this book a YA feel but it’s a fast paced and highly addictive page turner that I would definitely recommend.
I love a book that absolutely shocks me with the twists and this one delivered!

I have read Victoria Selman's novels before and really enjoyed her writing style. So when I got the chance to review All the Little Liars I was super excited.

The premise of the book is great and I found it really intriguing. There has been a murder at Turtle Bay, USA and 2 girls have confessed to the murder of their friend. Told from the viewpoint of one of the murderers little sister we learn how this awful thing occurred

We learn off of Finn what happened in the run up to the murder and we learn of some awful aspects of what the young teenage girls went through.

Finn moved to the UK after what happened and she is pursued by a journalist who feels like something is not right with the girls guilty plea.

I enjoyed reading about Finn, even though she is 10 years old in the novel she does seem super grown up, maybe down to the fact of her childhood. I really felt sorry for Finn and her family and what they all went through.

I did lose the way of the plot at certain times, as I found it could be quite jumpy, but nonetheless a really good and thought provoking thriller.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me a ARC in exchange for my honest review..

Twenty years ago three thirteen year old girls - Izzy, Lu and Plum - snuck out to go to a party at Turtle Lake, only two of them returned home. The girl who went missing was presumed to have run away but before long her body is discovered and her two friends confess to murdering her. In the present day new theories and evidence has come to light that will throw into the doubt the reasons behind the crime all those years ago. Did the girls really murder their friend, and if not why would they confess to something they didn’t do?

This one took me a bit to get in to, as I felt in the beginning it was a bit slow and I wasn’t that invested in the characters. But about a third of the way through it really picked up and I definitely enjoyed it from then on. Told over three time lines - Before the murder, After the murder and Now - with a selection of media exerts, diary entries and the recollections and POV of Izzy’s younger sister. This one was full of toxic friendships, manipulations and twists. I enjoyed the focus on how crime effects the families and how it can be a struggle to achieve closure and understand the Why of these things.

This didn’t quite turn out the way I expected it to, nor as dark.

Part of that is on me, obviously. I had anticipated more of a true crime feel to ‘All The Little Liars‘, but I don’t really feel it delivered in that regard. I like it when I can see the story play out in front of my eyes like a documentary. Here, it’s a before-and-after story told by someone who is still looking for answers, twenty years after a thirteen year old girl disappeared from a party at Turtle Lake. Sure, there are snippets of newspaper articles, for instance, but I didn’t feel like they added anything.

This is a difficult book to review without giving anything away. If you’re able to go in with as little information as possible, you’ll probably get a lot more out of it. Things aren’t what they seem and, as the title suggests, there are a heck of a lot of lies to be discovered and revealed.

Once again, Victoria Selman delivers at story with remarkable psychological insight. What could possibly make two teenage girls turn on their best friend and kill her? Clearly I can’t divulge that here, but the circumstances, the thought processes, the “reasons” if you will, sound frighteningly plausible. And somehow, as an adult, you can see the danger coming from miles away. This is where I wished this side of the story had been delved into a lot more. It felt to me like a whole thread of potential just went to waste.

‘All The Little Liars‘ is a story about toxic relationships and manipulation, about lies and secrets, about protecting those you love. It wasn’t quite dark or tense enough for me, probably more mystery than thriller, and with its emphasis very much on the psychological. While I did enjoy Victoria Selman’s writing and characterisation, it just didn’t work for me as well as this author’s previous book did. It wasn’t bad. In fact, it’s rather entertaining, addictive, and a quickie kind of read. I just needed something more. But who’s to say if my unpopular views weren’t swayed by a reading slump and the wrong expectations.

I was keen to read this book as I really enjoyed the author's debut, and I was not disappointed. It was a gripping, fast-paced mystery with themes relating to grooming, peer pressure, grief, guilt, and deceit! So, plenty to keep you intrigued all the way through. The story did not develop in the way I expected, which was good for me. I feel like this author is just a little bit different in the way she writes and how she communicates the characters inner worlds. Overall a great read!!!

★★★★ 4.5 stars

Inspired by a shocking true crime...

I have only read one Victoria Selman book - "Snakes and Ladders" - which was part of a series and I totally loved it. It was dark and it was twisted but it was so up my alley. So I was excited to dive into this one. It was a little different to what I expected. Three teenagers go to a party but only two return. What happened to the third?

The story unfolds through the eyes of the sister of one of the girls in a dual timeline format of then and now. I particularly love this style as a little bit more is revealed at just the right time, yet leaving you wanting more.

Honestly...I usually give a little more depth to my reviews but in my opinion I think it's best to go into this one with fresh eyes. Without knowing what's to come. You won't be sorry.

A totally twisty read that had me enthralled from start to finish I read it in one sitting with my eyes popping out of my head...

Overall, compelling...addictive...fast paced...nail biting...superb.

I would like to thank #VictoriaSelman, #Netgalley and #QuercusBooks for an ARC of #AllTheLittleLiars in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

All the little liars is partly based around a true story which for me is always a tick in the box as I love any type of true story.

Set in California 2003, three 13 year old girls go out to a party in Turtle lake, but only 2 come out. On one of the tress the word liar is written in blood. Later the girls body is found and the 2 girls confess to murdering their friend, however there are parts of their stories that don’t seem to add up. Why would the girls say they murdered their friend if they didn’t?

The story was told from 10 year old Kats point of view with then and now chapters, so we had 2 different timelines. Every time I thought I had worked out what was going to happen next I was proved wrong and this book threw me in a completely different and unexpected direction.

I don’t really know what else to write about all the little liars as to say anything else would give too much away and spoil any surprises.

All the little liars was the first book I’ve read by Victoria Selman, and I will definitely be looking out for more of her books as I loved the style of writing, the twists, the fast pace of the book, it had everything packed into it that a good thriller should have, and I really enjoyed reading this book.

One last thing I will say is be prepared for the unexpected.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an a Vance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

This was a proper page turner, a psychological thriller that deserves the title. Finn Jackman was only 10 years old in 2003 when her 13 year old sister Izzy was one of three girls who went to a party at Carlsbad’s Turtle Lake. Only two of them returned. Told exclusively from the POV of Finn, alongside news reports, other media and diary entries and in multiple timelines. A dreadful tale of how young lives can very quickly hit a downward spiral by the simple need to be liked and from manipulation by evil. The author has drawn great and emotional characters and the storyline was engrossing. I like her writing style, it’s easy to read with short chapters.

Briefly, two girls openly confess to murdering a third but Finn, even 20 years later, is still struggling to accept the reality of it all. There are inconsistencies in the stories told and she starts to believe all is definitely not as it seemed at the time. Shocking revelations follow as the truth slowly emerges.

The book leaves you wondering what you would do in the same place as Finn. A story of the need for love and acceptance amongst your peers and toxic friendship this is an emotional and at times upsetting read. Some good twists including one massive shocker and a very satisfying climax. An excellent read. 4.5 ⭐️

This is a well written murder mystery that kept me guessing until the end.

Turtle Lake is infamous following the discovery of a young girls body. But, who killed her and why?
It’s a disturbing read at times, with difficult subject matter, set over different timelines. I won’t say anymore about the storyline as it may spoil your enjoyment.

For me, it’s a very well told tale, with interesting, multilayered characters and a cracking plot.

Congratulations to the author and thanks to NetGalley and Quercia Books for the opportunity to preview.

3 girls go to a party – only 2 come home. Straight away, I loved this book. I was a bit dubious since the tagline is one that has been seen before, but this story isn’t like any other. Without giving too much away, the story is told through a sole perspective, but we have some diary extracts, documentary transcripts and new reports. The get to know enough about the characters to care just the right amount and share their frustrations and hurt with the changes of one of the characters. My initial thoughts were that the age group this author has chosen to tell this tale is a little too you, speaking as the mum of a 16 year old, but actually, this was quite ignorant of me and as soon as I realised this in myself, it changed the way I perceived the remainder of the book. I found the ending satisfying - once the first twist was uncovered, this was the ending I was rooting for. I really like this author’s writing style – it’s so easy and comfortable to follow, with a great true crime vibe. My first read, absolutely not my last!

4 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley & publishers Quercus Books for the ARC

Thanks to Quercus books for sharing this one. It's quite a page turner, although there were a couple of plot holes. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.